Hi Reader,

On Monday, we talked about the value of Executive Coaching, but I suspect many of you figured, yeah, that's for big-time executives, not for me ... and you skipped right past it.

That's a mistake — and here's why.

I didn't say it explicitly, but you can be certain that the value of individual coaching becomes very clear — WHEN YOU NEED TO COACH THE MEMBERS OF YOUR OWN TEAM. I imagine you're already facing that challenge.

When I use the word TEAM, I mean any team you manage — a specific initiative, a remote office, department, division or an entire company.

Your team is the linchpin of your success as well as the success of your organization.

Sooner or later, every leader discovers that managing a team "should" also mean coaching the people on it. Not correcting them — or criticizing them — or punishing them.

As that becomes more obvious, the value of individual coaching will be inescapable — and YOU will be the one doing the coaching.

What Would You Say?

I don’t know of a single leader among the hundreds I’ve coached over the last few decades who wouldn’t nod their head when they see this passage from the book by a team of authors, The 4 Disciplines of Execution.

Why is that?

Why is it that there’s not a single leader who wouldn’t immediately acknowledge the truth in that statement?

They wouldn’t question it. They wouldn’t disagree with it.

They wouldn’t even have to think about it.

Where does the “I wish I didn’t have” phrase come from?

While it could be disappointment in the lack of leadership, that doesn’t usually trigger the “I wish I didn’t have” lament as much as the lack of accountability and responsibility that undermines what leaders are trying to accomplish.

You may think that the leader just wants them to “step up” … take a more active role in getting things done.

That could be true, but isn’t that the kissing cousin of a failure of accountability … of NOT “stepping up” to be more responsible and accountable to achieve the assigned goals?

Is Your Team up to the Challenge?

Do you realize that the gaps in your team are the single biggest obstacle to your success?

Think about those times when you feel the least productive or the most stressed, when things aren’t getting done … and you’re picking up the pieces.

Most of us know, deep down, that these issues can be directly traced to the shortcomings of our team and that it's on us if we choose to accept those limitations.

So, why bother promoting the importance of being the best … and then accepting second best from members of our own team?

Is your team up to the challenge? Take the Leadership Team Challenge.

What Are You Going to Do About It?

The biggest problem?

We’re human.

When we see a scratch across the membrane of our leadership team, we’re pretty sure it’s a passing blemish that will go away.

Then, when that little scratch becomes a slight tear, we look a little more closely but, invariably, we conclude it’s minor and with a little touch up, it will go away.

Then, the scratch becomes a small fissure and we look even more closely. There’s some separation among the members, but once again, with a little TLC and a small repair job, it will go away.

When That Fissure Becomes a Crack…

Finally, we begin to see that the scratch … that became a tear … that became a fissure … is symptomatic of the underlying pressures and inefficiencies of our team.

It was a lot easier to ignore when it seemed so minor, but now, as the gap widens and the crack becomes significant, we finally… MAYBE… decide to act.

Even then, our action usually takes the form of a little counseling or a mild rebuke.

Maybe a note in a personnel file buried in a cabinet somewhere, but rarely the definitive action that resolves the issue and allows us to move, with our team, to a higher and greater level of performance.

Here’s what I want you to do

I’ve created a simple Leadership Team Challenge to give you a head start in evaluating your team. It takes only a few minutes. It's free — and it's a great starting point to HONESTLY EVALUATE YOUR TEAM.

Don't shy away from it because you suspect you won't like the answer. That's not what effective leaders do. A true leader wants to understand the quality and capabilities of their team and do whatever is necessary to make it stronger.

Go ahead and take the Leadership Team Challenge — and let me know what you think.

Don't Stop Leading!